Most beautiful villages in Castile and León

Castile and León is the largest region in Spain, and within its vast expanse of plateaux, mountain ranges and river valleys lies a variety of villages too great to take in on a single trip. Many began life as frontier strongholds, first between Christians and Muslims and later facing Portugal, and they still keep their walls, castles and historic quarters built on hilltops or easily defended spurs of rock. This shared heritage is the thread that links the most beautiful villages of Castile and León, even if each one tells the story in its own way.

In Soria, Medinaceli looks out from the top of its hill, with a triple-arched Roman arch that has no equal anywhere in the country and a Plaza Mayor built over the old forum, so that Rome and the Middle Ages sit just a few steps apart. To the west, in Zamora, Puebla de Sanabria occupies a spur between rivers very close to the Portuguese border, its medieval castle keeping watch over a townscape that holds much of the history of the old Kingdom of León.

Further south, in the heart of Salamanca's Sierra de Francia, La Alberca trades military stone for mountain architecture and folk traditions: it was the first village in Spain to be declared a historic-artistic site. From the plains of Soria to the rivers of Zamora and the mountains of Salamanca, these villages let you travel through very different landscapes and eras without ever leaving the same region.

Monument guide

Monuments of Castile and León

Castles, cathedrals and monasteries in the region, in our guide.

12 monuments